In Death, Life Goes on
by Vivian Caidin
Summary: A continuation of Innocence Lost. Xander and Cordy have settled into their lives as transgenics. Now, the flu season has hit full blast. And what is up with Giles?
1. Prologue

TITLE: In Death, Life Goes on

DISCLAIMER: Joss owns Buffy, James Cameron owns Dark Angel, Davis Panzer/Gregory Widen owns Highlander, other crossover to come.

PAIRING: Xander/Cordelia

RATING: R.

SPOILERS: Dark Angel is set at the end of season 2. Buffy is set in season 2 during the "Killed by Death" episode. Highlander is set after the Series, but before "Endgame".

Summary: A continuation of Innocence Lost. Xander and Cordy have settled into their lives as transgenics. Now, the flu season has hit full blast. And what is up with Giles?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is based on Challenge 1405: Not so broken world submitted by Ladeia and Challenge 400: Immortal Revelation by Teri both posted at Twisting the Hellmouth.

Prologue

…Welcome to Cemetery Drive…

A pair of black, leather gloves hooked around the back of the vampire's neck. The head was pulled down to smash painfully into the raised knee of Cordelia Chase.

Another vampire, not far away was backhanded twice by the black clad Xander Harris. He followed this move up with an uppercut to the jaw. This took the vampire off its feet to sail ten feet away and land on the ground in a painful heap.

Spinning, the May Queen plunged a stake into the demon's heart as, in the same instant, Xander plunged his own stake into the heart of the vampire he was tangling with.

"That makes five," the young woman said as she dusted ashes off of her clothes in an almost prim manner.

"Okay," Xander spread his hands wide, "so we're even."

"You know," the young woman said as she moved to his side, "Half the school is out with the flu, luckily we don't get sick otherwise we'd be in bed too."

"Hell," Xander said as he ran a hand through his hair, "that's one thing Manticore was good for, other than no longer needing to study so hard for my grades."

Cordelia shared a smile with him as Xander stepped closer.

"Why didn't we ever hook up back then?" he asked her as his arms stole around her waste.

She looked up at him as one of her hands went up to caress his barcode as the other held onto one of his arms, "I couldn't get past you looking like Ben, I saw my brother every time I looked at you."

"I definitely don't look like brother Benny now," he said thickly as he leaned down a bit more.

"You sure don't…" she was cut off as they shared a deep kiss.

The shrill tones of Xander's cell phone had the pair pulling apart reluctantly.

"What?" the young man snapped with more force than usual.

The transgenic listened intently to the person on the other end and his eyes widened as he looked down at Cordy.

"Buffy's in the hospital," Xander said as his eyes held deep concern for his friend.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

…Take Me to the Hospital…

Xander entered Sunnydale General Hospital with Cordelia hot on his tail.

Willow rushed over to them as soon as she spotted the pair. "She fell," she said in a breathy, panicky voice.

"What the hell happened?" the dark haired young man said as he grabbed her forearms to steady her.

"She was fighting some vamps when she fainted," the words jumbled together as she spoke quickly, but he'd known her so long that he was fluent in Willow-babble. "They already wheeled her to the back and won't let me in to see her."

"We'll see about that," Xander said darkly as he released the red head and headed toward the double doors of the ER.

"You cannot go in there," an Intern said as he saw the young man try to push the door open.

The X5 turned a steely eyed glare on the student doctor. "She needs someone with her…" he nearly growled. "Family…" he said as he tried to push the door open once more.

"I'm sorry," someone said from the door as it opened, "You cannot come in here."

Xander looked down at the doctor, more glared than anything, but he backed away with a frustrated sound at the back of his throat. He frowned as he bit a fingernail and paced the waiting room like a caged lion.

"I'll call Giles," Willow said in a perky tone and the young man silently handed her his cell phone.

"I'll call Buffy's mom," Cordelia said quietly as she took her own cell from a pocket in her cropped leather jacket.

…Goin' 'round the Hospital…

Every time Xander passed the double doors that led to the Emergency Room, he tried to get a glimpse of the interior. He tilted his head sideways to see if his enhanced hearing could pick up anything, but all the sounds coming from the double doors were muffled.

Cordelia and Willow sat next to one another with worried looks on their faces.

Giles had arrived and paced in the other direction, occasionally, he cleaned his glasses but other than that he remained silently waiting.

Joyce finally arrived and walked in their direction. "Where is she?" she asked when the Watcher reached her side.

"Still in there," Xander nearly snarled as he indicated the double doors with an impatient wave of his hand.

"I'd like to see my baby girl," Joyce said in deep concern.

"They won't let us in," Willow said as she rose and moved to the woman's side.

Joyce looked down at her and smiled sympathetically.

In that moment, the doctor entered the waiting room and called out, "Mrs. Summers?" he looked around expectantly.

"That's me," the blonde woman said as she turned to the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Ferguson," he said as he stood up straighter.

"Is my daughter alright, doctor?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"We were able to stabilize…"

Xander moved into the doctor's space, threatening, "Is. She. Okay?"

The doctor moved back from the young man, "She's going to be fine."

Joyce sighed with relief and sat down in the closest chair.

"We're going to keep her here for a few days so that we can monitor her fever." Ferguson said nervously as he eyed the young man.

…When can I go Home?…

Buffy Summers rested uncomfortably on the hospital bed. An IV drip fed nutrients into her veins to combat dehydration. The Slayer looked pale, drawn.

The door opened and Joyce entered with the Scooby Gang right behind her.

Both Cordelia and Xander frowned as they saw her. The pair shared a knowing look and moved to the blonde's side quickly.

Joyce moved to the bed and sat on the chair next to it as she took her daughter's hand. "Buffy? Are you alright, sweetie?"

"Are we taking me home?" she asked groggily as she tried to get up from the bed.

Xander held her shoulder to stop the blonde from getting up, "No, Buffinator, you need some RnR."

"My bed is better than this lumpy thing," the Slayer protested with a pout.

"I'm sure it is," the young man placated her, "but you need to get better, not relapse."

She relaxed back into the bed with a frown and stopped struggling.

"She feels hot, feverish," Xander stepped back to Giles' side when the Slayer had calmed down enough. His next words were whispered, "Her pulse is too erratic."

"It must be the flu," Giles agreed with him.

"I wanna go home," Buffy said loudly to her mother in her best child's voice.

Joyce looked at the others with a smile and a shrug.

Xander stood back, biting a fingernail as he watched a doctor and a nurse enter the room to check his friend and administer a sedative through the IV drip then left the room as efficiently as possible. For some reason, neither were comfortable in the dark haired youth's presence.

"I don't think I've ever seen her this scared," Xander said into the silence of the room.

"She hates hospitals," Joyce explained as she stroked the blonde's hair soothingly.

"I can sympathize," Xander snarked with a self-depreciating frown.

Willow looked at him oddly but turned to the Slayer's mother, "Why?"

"She was eight when her cousin Celia died in a hospital, Buffy was with her," the woman said by way of explanation.

'Just like Jack,' Cordelia thought to herself as she frowned sadly, remembering things best left forgotten.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

…Down the Long Hall …

Xander stood right outside the door to Buffy's Hospital Room and looked up one way and down the other with a frown on his face. Instinctively, he looked for any and all perceived threats that might be in the immediate vicinity.

"Do you think she's going to be okay?" Willow asked as she looked up at him in apprehension.

Cordy frowned, she knew Xander hated hospitals, knew why, it was the same reason she hated them. "Lysette got her nose done here, botched job," she covered her nervousness with feigned air headedness.

The May Queen opened Buffy's door and looked in nervously to make sure the Slayer was asleep.

"Cor," Xander said quietly, calmly as he placed a hand on one of her shoulders. He did not need his empathy to tell him what was wrong with the leggy brunette.

Ignoring Cordelia's drama, Willow looked up at Xander, "Do you think Angel will try to attack her while she's here?"

"It's a public place…" he frowned. "Anything could happen."

…The Night Shift…

Xander hunkered down in a chair right down the hall from Buffy's room.

A pair of book end police officers stood in front of a convict's room further down the hall.

A guard walked passed the young man for the umpteenth time as he made his rounds.

Nurses and orderlies continued on about their business as they continued on their night shift.

The young man was lightly dozing when there was a lull in activity at his end of the hall.

Suddenly he was wide awake as his heightened hearing could hear the whistled strains of Chopin's "Nocturne."

Dilated pupils could easily make out the figure of the familiar vampire walking toward him.

"Visiting hours are over, butt munch," Xander said quietly into the darkness.

"I'm family," Angelus said equally quietly as he stopped and watched the seated young man.

"Come back during daylight hours," the X5 remained cool, calm and collected as he remained in his seat. It was a deceptive posture and the vampire realized it.

"If I decided to walk into her room," the vampire said with a smirk as he took a couple of steps forward, "Do you think you could stop me?"

"Wanna bet money on it?" Xander said as he straightened in his chair. "The sec might have something to say," he nodded at the guard as he passed once more. "The police down there might too," he nodded toward the cops. "Even the nurses and orderlies. I know they're just ordinaries. But I'm game if you are…" he cracked his knuckles and his neck as though he were preparing himself for a fight.

Angelus threw the flowers he had in his fist at the feet of the young man. 'Something is just not right about him,' he thought to himself as he continued, "Tell her I stopped by." He turned to leave.

"Yeah," the young man said in a low tone as he watched the vampire leave, "sure I will."

…Things Can Only Get Better…

Buffy was sitting up the next morning when Xander followed Giles, Willow and Cordelia into her room.

The young man held a clear vase with a water plant protruding from the top.

He noticed that the breakfast tray had been moved away so he placed the vase down on the cart in front of her.

"It's a plant," Buffy said as she looked at the greenery.

"It's a fish," Xander said in the same tone as he turned the vase to show her the royal blue samurai fighting fish swimming happily, puffed up as it showed its fins off and flared its red gills.

Buffy blinked as she watched the tiny fish in a near hypnotized manner.

"I got you something too," Willow piped up from behind him as she placed a set of books next to the vase.

"Homework," the Slayer's shoulders slumped.

"I did all of your work," the red head said in a lively tone, "Just sign your name."

Giles set a fruit basket on the side table and offered her an apple as he ate one of his own.

Buffy frowned at it and said, "Chocolate would have been better."

"No one said that I was supposed to bring something," Cordelia protested.

Everyone turned to look, or glare, at her.

She smiled and said, "Just kidding." She set a small box of Godiva's finest on top of the books.

"Oh, hello chocolatey goodness. Come to mama," the blonde said as she ignored the fruit in place of the candy.

"Do you think we could get out of here?" Buffy asked as she eyed the nurse who entered the room to check her IV drip. "At least for a little while."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3**  
**

…It's going to Be a Bright, Bright Sunshiny Day…

The sun was shining, the birds were singing and a nice, cool breeze was blowing as the group exited the hospital into the courtyard.

Xander pushed the wheelchair at a sedate pace.

The others followed leisurely as they took a stroll along the cobbled walkway.

"Now, this is living," Buffy joked. "I could get used to this."

Xander chuckled darkly.

"Over there looks nice," the blonde said as she pointed to some benches placed strategically around a water fountain.

He headed that way and set the brakes for her next to the bench, then sat down on the ground leaving the benches for the others to sit on if that was what they wanted.

Cordelia sat down closest to him and the others filed in closer to the blonde Slayer.

Buffy looked down at her hands before she spoke. "A girl died last night," it was said barely above a whisper.

"How'd she die?" Giles asked with a frown.

"Flu," was her simple, one word response.

Willow grimaced as she said, "But the flu is not a hellmouthy problem."

"I know that," Buffy rolled her eyes. "But there's this Dr. Backer and he's giving experimental treatments to some of the kids." She looked away thoughtfully, "There was this kid, Ryan… he said he saw something."

The transgenics shared a significant, knowing look with one another.

"Saw what?" Giles asked sternly.

"Death."

"Death?" Cordelia confirmed.

"Is there an echo," Xander quipped.

Cordelia tapped him on the back of the head none too gently with her fingers.

"Buffy," Giles began as he cleaned his glasses, "a frightened child…"

"I know all that," the blonde cut him off impatiently, "but I saw something too."

"But did you actually see death?" Cordelia asked curiously.

"I don't know what I saw," the Slayer sounded frustrated as she looked at her friends. "Maybe it was something… hellmouthy." she trailed off, thinking.

"Oh," Willow gave a hop in her seat, "Your mom told us about your cousin. Maybe it has something to do with that," she sounded helpful.

"This has nothing to do with that," the blonde said with finality, "Ryan is afraid of something real. I need to find out what it is if I can help him.

…Sneaking and Creeping on Little Cat Feet…

Xander and Cordelia wore their housebreaker clothes as they cased the Medical Records Room well past oh-dark-hundred at night.

The young man sat down in front of a computer that was already turned on as the cat burglar moved to the file cabinets along the far wall.

Moving the mouse made the password protected screensaver stop and a password dialogue box pop up onto the screen.

Xander scratched his chin in thought before he rubbed his hands together and began typing... God.

Once he clicked okay, the box blinked out and he was into the system.

Smirking, he quickly found the files he wanted and set them to printing.

"We need to figure out what killed that girl," he whispered as he turned to her as the printer in the corner of the room spit the sheets out quickly and silently.

The young woman looked through the files until she came upon the little girl's file and pulled it from the drawer.

Suddenly, they heard the jingle of keys and the pair ducked behind a large, oversized desk and cramped themselves together.

Xander smirked as he looked at her. He did not want to be any place else.

Cordelia looked into his cat wide pupils and smiled, without the guard this could be romantic.

The beam of light from a flashlight passed over their heads and the jingle of keys faded as the guard walked back out into the hall and closed the door. They heard the lock click.

The pair moved to stand and Cordy placed the file open on the desk.

Xander clicked a pen light on and they both read the file. As transgenics, they would be able to recall the file word for word at anytime.

…Should I Stay or Should I go Now…

The pair exited the room and Xander relocked the door. Subconsciously, they moved as one down the hall, shoulder to shoulder.

"What are you gonna do?" Cordelia asked him as he shoved the small sheaf of papers into his blue and white messenger bag.

"I'm stayin' here," he told her with a side glance.

"Your obsessed with protecting Buffy," she nodded sagely. "Have I told you how attractive its not?"

"Cordy, please, somebody's gotta watch her six."

"I've seen you watch her six alright," the young woman groused.

"What do you mean by that, Maxie?"

"Well, Alec," she stopped and turned to him, "I'm sure the phrase 'watch her six' is a euphemism for 'checkin' out her ass'."

Xander smirked, "You're jealous?!… of someone I think of as a sister."

She rolled her eyes, shook her head and turned away, "Watch my 'six'," she headed down the hall to leave.

He tilted his head sideways as he watched her 'leave'.

Much later, Xander sat in the same chair he had used earlier. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs and remain awake. His head nodded toward his chest as he began to fall asleep once more. He shook himself awake and looked down the darkened hall toward Buffy's room.

A clear plastic container of croissants hit the table next to him and his head snapped to look at the leather clad figure. The logo of the Espresso Pump was emblazoned on the Styrofoam coffee cup that Cordelia handed to him as she carefully took a sip from her own cup.

He smiled as he took the cup from her and used his eyes to indicate the seat next to himself.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4**  
**

…Since You Died…

"The girl Tina," Giles said as he stood near Buffy's bed, "apparently she died of fever." He looked at Xander who had given him the information.

Xander gave a subtle nod for him to carry on.

Giles pulled his glasses off to clean them as he continued, "Her records indicated that she was improving before she suddenly declined with no apparent reason."

"It wasn't him," Buffy shook her head as she looked over at the fish thoughtfully.

"What do you mean it wasn't him? It wasn't who?"

"Backer's dead," she said as she handed Giles a drawing.

"You saw it?" the Watcher asked her.

"No, it's invisible. But it did shred the doc before it knocked me down. Ryan drew this for me."

"It might help if we knew what this bitch was," Cordelia said from her spot near the door. She was standing guard since she was keeping an ear to the outside to know when someone might come into the room.

"You said it was invisible to you but that the kids could see it?" Giles asked her as he finished fiddling with his glasses.

"Yeah…" Buffy said as a confused look stole over her face, "But that doesn't make any sense, cause the other night I thought I might have saw it."

"But why did you see it the other night and not tonight?" Willow asked curiously.

"Somebody's coming," Cordy said as she ran to sit on the small couch.

In that instant, the door pulled open and Joyce Summers entered. "Good morning, everyone," she said as she smiled to everyone in the room.

There were answering greetings from everyone as she moved to her daughter's side.

"Hey, honey," Joyce said as she smoothed her daughter's hair behind her ear, "the doctor said I could take you home today."

Buffy coughed, "No, I think I should stay here."

"She doesn't look well at all," Cordelia said from the couch.

"I think she may have had a setback," Xander said as he touched her forehead from the other side of the bed.

Joyce looked at the young man then she looked, concerned, at her daughter, "Are you sure, dear?"

Buffy sniffed a couple of times and coughed again, "Yeah, at least for one more day."

"Alright," her mother said with a sigh, "I'll go speak with Dr. Ferguson." She finally left the room and pulled the door shut.

"So, what's the sitch?" Xander asked as he leaned against the bed and ducked his head slightly to peer at the Slayer curiously.

"Giles," Buffy said as she went into Slayer mode, "See if you can find out what this thing is. I have to know what I'm fighting."

"Of course," he responded.

The blonde continued, "I'm gonna check Dr. B's office, see what I can find."

Xander and Cordelia looked at one another in silent communication as if to say, 'Didn't we just do that?'

"Course, I'll need someone with me…" she trailed off as she looked at Willow.

"Oh," the red head hopped up from the chair, "you know, because of the medical terms and stuff. I'm good for that cause Xander and I used to play doctor all the time."

Everyone looked at the tall young man.

The X5 smirked then a nearly frightened light stole into his eyes as he saw everyone glaring at him. "No, no," he put his hands up to calm everyone, "she means it literally not the other…"

Cordelia glared at him harshly.

Xander gave a huge sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Gray's Anatomy and the Merck's Manual, guys… and she'd diagnose these really cool sounding diseases. I never corrected her on how it was actually supposed to be played."

The other transgenic rolled her eyes and shook her head as she turned her focus back to the sickbed.

"Why?" Willow sounded confused as she looked at everyone, "How is it actually played?"

"I wouldn't know," the blonde said airily.

"Anyway…" Giles said in that 'move it along' tone of voice that he sometimes used.

"Oh, right…" Buffy said as she looked at her Watcher, "Get going."

"I'll call if I find anything," Giles said as he cleared his throat and left the room.

Xander and Cordelia followed the older man out of the room.

"Research beckons," the librarian said as he realized the others had followed him.

"I'm on sentry duty," Xander said quietly as he looked up the hall one way and then down in the other direction.

"But it's invisible…" Cordy snapped at him.

"I have other senses besides sight… Remember?" he smiled down at her.

"Right," the Englishman said as he looked at the pair, "Stay alert, Xander."

"Max should go with you, Giles," he nodded in her direction. "You know two heads are better than one and all."

"I could use a research assistant," he nodded thoughtfully as he looked at the female X5, "Let's go, Cordelia."

He headed to the elevators.

Cordy shared a hug and a quick kiss with her boyfriend before she rushed to follow the older man.

Xander moved to the chair he had commandeered earlier and sat in it in a comfortable slouch.

…There's no Time for Us…

As Rupert Giles and Cordelia Chase walked to the older man's Citroen in the car garage of the hospital, Giles suddenly came to a cautious halt.

The young woman turned to him with a questioning light in her dark eyes and a pout on her lips.

"Cordelia," he said in an even, quiet tone. Just barely above a whisper, he continued, "I want you to get to my car now." He thrust the keys at her, "Whatever happens, do not interfere."

She tilted her head to look up at him with a question on her lips.

"Do not question, child," he said in hurried concern, "just do as I say."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

…Who Wants to Live Forever…

As she looked at him, Giles' whole demeanor changed. Gone was the friendly, mild-mannered librarian, and in his place was someone who could rival 'Decker.

She nodded as she turned and rushed to the car. She opened the door and hopped into the driver's seat. She then turned to look at him, at the scene unfolding in front of her. She turned the handle to crack the window so she could use her enhanced hearing to pick anything that was said outside. If he needed help, she would have his six.

An oily man in a thick, heavy pea coat stepped from behind a large black van and looked at the librarian for a long moment.

"Gilles DeLeuze," the short, stout man had a gravely, hoarse voice.

'Jill?' Cordy thought to herself, frowning.

"I go by Rupert Giles now," he said calmly.

The other man sighed heavily as he spoke, "I hear you've gone soft."

"Rumors will get you killed," the Watcher said as he removed his glasses and placed them in an inner coat pocket of his tweed sport coat. "Who are you, by the way? Why do you seek me out?"

The other man sneered, "I'm John Kirin," he said as he pulled a sword from his coat, "and you're an easy mark."

"Kage," Giles nodded sagely. "I didn't think you were a head hunter," he said more to himself than to the other man. "I thought you stayed on the seas."

Kage shrugged, "A head's ahead in this Game, old man," he said by way of explanation with a cruel smirk.

Giles sighed hugely as he withdrew his own sword from his coat and slipped out of it. He spit it on the ground.

As the taller man was distracted, Kirin charged.

…Don't Loose Your Head…

Cordelia nearly screamed as she watched the shorter man slash the air with his sword at the librarian and Giles instinctively, expertly twirled away. The ring of steel on steel echoed through the car garage. Giles followed it with a front kick into his opponent's hip.

Kage fell to the ground and rolled away from the other man. For an old looking man, he was pretty spry as he jumped to his feet and continued the fight.

Swords clashed again and again as the fight continued to pan out in front of the young transgenic.

Slashing out with his sword in an arch, Kage caught the Watcher in his chest with the tip of his sword dragging a red line through his shirt.

A hiss of pain escaped the Watcher's lips but he ignored the wound.

Actually, he dragged his free hand into the blood and coated the left side of his face in red like a warrior of the ancient world and continued as though nothing had happened.

Giles tuned everything else out as he blocked the other blade from getting in another dig. He concentrated completely on his opponent and waited patiently for an opening.

Kage let his guard down on the left, but the other man led him into a false sense of security.

Manticore had taught Max to study weaknesses and strength. One good thing that had come of her time with them, she could tell who the winner of this sword fight would be.

Expertly wearing the other man down, Giles finally noticed Kage drop his left for a final, fatal time and he smirked.

Exploding into a burst of speed and skill, the Immortal, turned Chaos Mage, turned Slayer Watcher twitched his blade one final time and cut a deep gash down his opponent's left side.

Kage tried to straighten up as thick red blood flowed from the wound. The man fell to his knees, but he still clutched his sword.

Tapping the other man's sword, Kage's hand released and the weapon clattered to the floor of the three story car garage.

Giles grabbed Kage by the back of the head and said, "I did not want to do this especially in front of my daughter."

Standing to his full height, Giles raised his sword up, over his head.

Cordy shook her head as she watched in stunned silence. 'Don't do it,' she thought to herself, a frown on her lips and a protest in her heart for what her trusted father figure was about to do.

"There can be only one," Giles whispered resignedly as the blade fell one final time and removed the head of the man he had fought with just recently.

'He won,' the transgenic said to herself, 'Why'd he have to kill him?'

Giles stepped away from the body and turned, inadvertently, he now faced the Citroen.

A light breeze lifted the Watcher's hair and blew it around as he lifted sad, blue eyes to her concerned brown ones. He frowned as he lifted his arms, sword still in hand, overhead.

Cordelia watched puzzled, then transfixed, as forces she did not understand crackled and blazed with blue lightning.

Giles screamed as the lightning began to hit him. The older man shook with what looked like a seizure, but the brunette knew it was caused by whatever was flowing out of the dead guy and into Giles.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few minutes, the lightning subsided and the wind disappeared.

When it was all over, the Immortal sank to his knees and remained upright with the help of his sword.

Cordelia frowned as she watched him, unsure if she should get out of the car and go to him or not. "Screw it," she said as she opened the car door and blurred to his side. "Are you alright? Can you get up?"

"Cordelia," he whispered, out of breath. "Just give me a moment," he rested his forehead on the hilt of his sword as he felt a hand go to his shoulder.

They sat there in the car park for nearly five minutes when, very slowly, he turned sad eyes on her, "I'm sorry, child." He spoke in a tired whisper, "I so hoped that if I moved to the Hellmouth I'd get away from the Game."

"Do we need to clean that up?" she asked as she looked over at the body and noticed surprisingly little mess.

"A team should be here shortly for clean up," the older man said tiredly as he struggled to rise. "Standard procedure since he had someone watching him."

The X5 frowned as she helped him up and moved with him to the car, "Let me drive, Giles, you can explain later."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

…At the Library…

They sat next to each other at the usual table. A stack of books waited to be read while the pile of finished books quickly grew on the floor. Giles took a huge pull from the bottle of water in his hand.

He had told her that he would speak of the incident later, and she would hold him to that. At the moment, they had to concentrate on the situation with the kids.

"What does this thing do?" she asked as she showed him a picture from the book she had in her hands.

His response was automatic, "Eats its victim's organs."

The transgenic flipped several pages then asked once more, "What about this one?"

He looked at the picture from the corner of an eye, "Its mouth is like a snake's. It can detach its jaw to devour its victims whole."

"Huh!" the brunette said as she flipped through some more pages before she showed him another picture, "What about this thing?"

"It asks endless questions of those with whom it's supposed to be working so that nothing gets done," Giles snapped tiredly at her.

"Wow!" she said as she looked over at him, a teasing light in her brown eyes, "There's a demon for everything."

The Watcher pulled the drawing from his pocket and smoothed it out onto the table, "If this thing is only seen by a few people… we'll never find a picture of it."

"I don't think it's in here," Cordy said as she closed the book and the cover had nearly the exact same picture on it.

…There's a Monster on the Loose…

Cordy sat at the table, cell phone in hand, and spoke into the phone, "Its Der Kindestod… Its me, I found your demon… He's cross-referencing at the mo…" She got up from the table and walked toward the stacks.

"She wants to talk to you," she said as she offered him her cell phone.

Giles shook his head distractedly since his nose was in a book.

"He's indisposed at the moment," the transgenic said as she brought the phone back to her ear. "Listen," she began, "the name means 'Death to the children.' He sucks the life out of 'em and it makes it look like they die of the flu." As an afterthought she added, "The children's ward of a hospital would be like a smorgasbord to this thing."

She sat back down in her seat at the table, as Giles moved from between a row of books and sat at the table.

"I found a picture of how it kills its victims," Giles said as he laid the book open on the table. He had forgotten to put his glasses back on from earlier.

"Wait one," Cordy said as she passed the phone to the librarian.

"Buffy?" he nearly yelled into the phone. This was the first time he had ever used a cell phone.

The transgenic could hear Buffy say, 'Not so loud.'

"The, um, Kindestod sits atop its prey, pins it down and slowly draws the life out, suffocating. It must be a terrifying experience." Giles said thoughtfully as the other end of the phone went dead, "Buffy? Hello?"


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

…The Kidz Are Aiight…

Xander worriedly followed Buffy down the stairs and into the basement.

"You should be in bed," he said, his voice full of concern.

"No," the blonde said, "I have to help the kids."

A steadying hand on her shoulder prevented the Slayer from falling down the stairs.

"Just how are you gonna kill this thing with 102 fever?" he wondered aloud as even though his core body temperature was hotter, he knew her's was not.

"I thought I'd use violence."

"Right," the transgenic said as he rolled his eyes and pursed his lips in consternation. 'Now I know how Giles feels,' he thought to himself as he followed her.

With his enhanced hearing, Xander could pick up sounds of a struggle. It seemed Buffy could hear it too because she broke into a run.

"Damn it!" the X5 said as he took off after her. He finally turned a corner and saw Buffy fighting something that he could not see. He could tell, though, that she was fighting something as he saw it lift her up and throw her a few feet away. But the Slayer was able to land on her feet and dove back into the fight.

Assured that she was alright for the moment, Xander assessed the situation with the kids. He saw one kid on the floor, a little too close to the fight for his comfort. So the young man strode over to the child and lifted him up into his arms.

"Do you know where the other kids are?" he asked the boy to give him something to do.

The little kid nodded and pointed.

Even though he did not need to, the transgenic followed the boy's lead and found the children huddled together near the boiler.

"Let's get out of here," he said as they eyed him owlishly.

As soon as the children realized he was taking them to safety, they rushed him to get as close as they possibly could to him.

He herded them up the stairs, went into the waiting room and made sure they had settled down before he rushed back to the basement to see if Buffy needed any help.

…Drop Dead Fred…

Xander rushed into the room just in time to see Buffy sail through the air and land on the floor near some cleaning equipment.

Looking, the young man saw nothing and frowned in concern for his friend. He crouched into a fighting stance, unsure of the outcome. If Buffy failed, he knew it would be up to himself to get the job done even though the thing was invisible.

The Slayer kipped up to her feet and dove at the invisible, whatever it was and continued the fight.

Several traded blows later and he saw that Buffy had two hands around what seemed to be the creature's neck. A crack confirmed it and he saw his friend stumble away from whatever it was.

"I'll assume its dead?" the young man asked as he moved cautiously to her side.

"Yeah," Buffy said as she stumbled and would have fallen if not for Xander's quick reflexes and steady hand.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked as he held onto her incase she passed out or something.

"I'm feeling better," she said as she shook off his hand and tried, and failed, to stand on her own.

"Whoa, there, slugger," Xander said as he helped her to remain upright.

"Thanks for helping me," Buffy said nearly weakly.

"That's what friends are for," the transgenic responded as he helped her up the stairs.


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

…Who Waits Forever Anyway?…

Dark amber liquid swirled in a squatty glass as Xander rotated his wrist gently so that the bourbon caught the light from overhead.

Cordelia sat across from him and took a long pull from her Corona as she looked over at the older man who nursed his own glass of bourbon.

Giles' house, or the library, were the only two places that the Scoobies knew were secure in that no one would overhear their private conversations. This time, they sat in Giles' dining room/kitchen and listened, non-judgmental, to his story. One of ancient times, sword fights beheadings, and love lost long ago.

"So," Xander said as he leaned forward to eye the older man with trepidation, "You're one of these Immortals?"

"That's right, Xander," Giles said with a nod. "I tried to get out of the game because there are things I know that others do not. Joining the Society of Watchers, I was able to keep tabs on the others and made sure I was well out of their way. I thought, moving to the Hellmouth, I would be able to avoid Immortals altogether."

Cordy frowned as she looked at the older man for a long moment, "Why didn't you tell any of us until now?"

"I'd think for sure you'd tell Buffy," Xander said with a jealous light in his dark eyes.

The Immortal sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "Just like the Slayer is a secret, so to are the Immortals. I've gone two thousand years without mentioning it, I never thought anything of keeping silent."

"So, if Cordy wouldn't have seen the fight and light show to follow, we'd still be none the wiser?" Xander asked as he rose from his seat.

The young woman looked up at him with a frown on her face as she touched her boyfriend on the arm comfortingly.

Giles looked down at the table, at a loss for words.

Cordelia leaned toward Xander before he could get up and leave, "Alec, it's just like what happened with us," she tried to get him to understand.

"I understand, Maxie," he responded as he pulled out of her grasp. "It would have helped to know." He stood there up and looked down at Giles with a sardonic frown, "All those times you were hit in the head, tortured, nearly killed, whatever and you recovered quickly."

"I couldn't just come out and say, 'Oh, by the way, children, I'm Immortal'." Giles began as he looked up at the young man, "Buffy would think I'm a demon and wonder how to kill me."

Xander smirked, "Well, we're all in this together, I guess." He sat back down in his chair and tipped the front legs up off the floor.

Giles poured them both another bourbon. Then, got up, went to the fridge and came back with another Corona for Codelia.

Cordelia lifted the long necked bottle to her lips for a long pull.

Giles looked first at the young woman and noticed the supportive light in her eyes.

He then turned his head to Xander, and noticed the hooded look the young man was giving him.

Kicked under the table, Xander sat up straight and nodded. "You're important to me, G-man. You're more of a father to me than my old man. You need someone at your back cause an Immie is out for blood, I'm your man."

The Immortal smirked as a funny expression stole over his features, "Thanks, Xander, I'll take that as a complement."


End file.
